1. I used to work (before moving to Seattle) with a saxophone player
who played for 20 years in the top U.S. military jazz ensemble for his
branch of the service. His playing has hints of Michael Brecker, John Coltrane,
Lockjaw, and Bob Berg, yet he can do it all and has a very personal sound
and harmonic sense. He is a reformed alcoholic (14 years) and is full of
wisdom. This is truly a man who had learned from his mistakes. Well, this
group was almost the the only gig he played, and after his retirement from
the military, he worked full time in a unrelated field to music.

There was no apparent reason he did not have a major record deal and
wasn't working in New York. We became close enough that I could ask him
about it. He told me that he had spent most of his military career bashing
other players and trying to elevate himself by tearing others' music down.
He thought that his opinion was more sacred than the feelings of other
people and since he had something he need to say, he said it. He has no
"buddies" from 20 years in the service and is never invited to any reunions.
He is NOTHING like that now as he was wise enough to make some major changes
in the way he lived. His most common quote about this was, "The only thing
that kept me from the big time was my mouth." Unfortunately, it took him
50 years of living to figure this out.

2. When you make bold public declarations about other people or topics
you feel strongly about, remember this simple saying:

"When you offer your opinion in any fashion, you are not demonstrating
what you know or what you have learned. More often you are demonstrating
what you do NOT know and what you have NOT learned."

3. One more...

"The are times when people should think before they type an email, rather
than typing what they are thinking."

4. Heros: A great player once defined the word talent to me. "TALENT
is not a God given gift bestowed on a person. TALENT is the DISCIPLINE
to practice correctly and productively several hours every day." He used
to say, "If I am SO talented, why do I have to practice so hard every day."

HEROS!!!

It is now time for all of us with trumpet heros to list them. If you
do not have any heros that is okay, send in a blank post.

MY HEROS:

1. BLUE MITCHELL. Blue had a sound like no other. His sound and
style set the pace for every trumpet player that followed him in Horace
Silver's quintet. Blue is and has always been required listening for every
player that Horace has hired. While we discuss embouchures, mouthpieces,
revered leadpipes, etc., Blue never thought about any of this. He just
put up the horn and played the most pure-from-the-heart melodies that still
make me shake my head. You might say that his embouchure was in his chest
(his heart). He played perfectly "in the pocket" with a groove like a tank.
Yet he sounded witty, happy, whimsical, and free. I did my dissertation
on Blue Mitchell. I interviewed dozens of major players and jazz legends.
Not one ever said anything bad about Blue or could remember a time when
he had said anything bad about another person. He died of cancer at age
49 in 1979 and is sorely missed by everyone that knew him - still...

2. CLARK TERRY. Clark was one of the first people I heard when
I was young. He plays as coherently as the top classical players and his
interpretation of melody is about as close to the human voice any trumpet
has ever come. A prince of a person, his jazz playing is so solid that
I only hear answers, no questions. If you have ever met him, you know that
there is nothing but positive things to say about him.

3. DOC SEVERINSEN: Doc taught me what the word fire meant. I
have every solo and big band recording he made (that I know of) and I have
never grown tired of hearing him, even though I played those albums over
and over when I was a kid. He is a person that I remember when I am having
a bad day, because he ALWAYS makes music fun. One thought of him, and I
am back on track. He is the ultimate nice guy, and performed incredibly
well on a very high pressure gig for 25 years. Again, I have never met
or heard of a player that didn't like him personally.

4. BOBBY SHEW. Bobby gave up a very lucrative career as one of
the leading studio players in the L.A. scene. He has been devoted to small
group jazz playing and educational residencies and clinics for over 20
years. The list of young players he has kick-started and inspired through
his clinics and generously lengthy private lessons is a mile long. While
Bobby is not perfect as a human being, he uses some of the experiences
in his life to help young people steer away from making the same mistakes.
I think I would describe his method sometimes as "tough love," in other
words, having the courage to be honest about the things that really matter.
He is classy enough to do this one-on-one, never in public (that I have
seen). His playing is unmistakably Bobby, and listening to him grow as
a jazz player over the years has been a major part of my enjoyment in learning
how to play the trumpet.

5. PHIL SMITH. This man rose to the top of Orchestral playing,
succeeding some of the most brilliant orchestral players in history (Vacchiano,
Gerry Schwarz). He has brought humility and a dedication to his faith in
God forward in his music without apologies or shyness. Have I head him
miss? Well, of course, we all have. But his misses are so insignificant
due to the most incredible creamy smooth sound he produces and the deep
intent with which he interprets music.

Other heros (I'll just do my jazz heros, someone else can do classical/orchestral/band
heroes heroes) in no particular order (I probably forget about 100):